From Creature to Loyal Dog (Horden)
Introduction The 2012 movie Frankenweenie will be considered to be a text for the purposes of this analysis, although some people may not consider it to be one. First let’s define what a text is. In Espen J. Aarseth’s article Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature he claims that all a text needs to exist are a medium, words, and an interpreter. Aarseth, Espen. "Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Leterature." http://www.hf.uib.no/cybertext/Ergodic.html. It could easily be argued that Frankenweenie ''has all of these elements . The medium of a digital display may be nontraditional but it is still a method of conveying the story. The movie also has words that are spoken between the characters with the interpreter being the viewer. As a matter of fact these very elements that make it a text are pieces to the connection between ''Frankenweenie ''and Frankenstein . In this text Frankenweenie will be compared to Mary Shelly’s ''Frankenstein ''as a refashioning of her original form. While there are many similar aspects between the two texts ''Frankenweenie ''changes the original text by remediating, shifting points of view, altering themes, and using a transparent medium. Within the context of the course “Literature in a Wired World” the text ''Frankenweenie ''offers a good example of many course themes. The first course theme is remediation, which is defined in a book by Jab David Bolter and Richard Grusin titled Remediation: Understanding New Media. They define remediation as essentially the shifting of a plot or idea from one platform to another. Bolter, Jay David and Richard Grusin. Remediation: Understanding New Media. Course Readings, ENGL 295. 11. Bolter and Grusin go farther to state that all new forms of media are remediations and they all attempt to achieve immediacy Bolter, Jay David and Richard Grusin. Remediation: Understanding New Media. Course Readings, ENGL 295. 15., which is another principle this film is able to utilize. This movie is a remediation of the original 1818 ''Frankenstein ''text simply because of the shift in medium from book to movie. There was a significant amount of work that went into the production of this film with the goal to draw the viewer into the world of the film. This goal of immediacy, or the disappearance of the medium Bolter, Jay David and Richard Grusin. Remediation: Understanding New Media. Course Readings, ENGL 295. 9., is achieved optimally when the film is viewed in a movie theater, however, home movie viewing can bring a similar effect. The effect of hypermediacy, the overuse of media to immerse a viewer Bolter, Jay David and Richard Grusin. Remediation: Understanding New Media. Course Readings, ENGL 295. 9., can also be seen in this movie with the various audio and visual interactions required. While there are many different themes in the movie ''Frankenweenie ''that change, question, and enhance the themes in ''Frankenstein, I will only be able to focus of a few of these for this analysis. The first theme I will focus on is what it means to be alive. Frankenweenie's ''"creature", a dog named Sparky, is clearly alive in the beginning, however after the car accident there is a question of whether or not the re-animated dog is alive. In the book ''Frankenstein ''there is a similar question of whether or not the creature is alive after its animation. The second theme that I will be focusing on is what duty a creator has to his creation, or animation. In the movie the dog is loved and cared for by its owner throughout the film, and this leads to a certain reaction in Sparky. To contrast this caring nature in the book the creature is essentially abandoned by his creator, leading to an adverse reaction from the creature. Overall these two texts incorporate many different subjects from thematic changes, to less subtle shifts in medium that will all be discussed in this analysis. Biography It may be difficult to determine the creator of certain movies, however Frankenweenie has one distinct person responsible for it, Tim Burton . Mr. Burton wrote, directed and produced this film "Frankenweenie (2012) - IMDb." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1142977/ and he also wrote and directed a 1984 film also titled Frankenweenie. "Frankenweenie (1984) - IMDb." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087291/ The version of Frankenweenie we will be discussing is the 2012 animated version that was released by Walt Disney Pictures ."Frankenweenie (2012) - IMDb." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1142977/ Being released be Disney it can be assumed that the target audience is children and given that the movie is rated PG "Frankenweenie (2012) - IMDb." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1142977/ , it is most likely targeted to children over 10 years old. While IMDb has this film listed as a comedy "Frankenweenie (2012) - IMDb." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1142977/ I found it to be creepy at times, leading to my conclusion that it is attempting to create a market for itself. This film is filling a niche that has was not filled last year in children’s movies. This film only made 11.4 million dollars on its opening weekend compared to its estimated 39 million dollar budget."Frankenweenie (2012) - IMDb." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1142977/ Refashioning Form The first thing that is obvious when comparing ''Frankenstein ''and ''Frankenweenie ''is that ''Frankenstein ''is a book and ''Frankenweenie ''is a film . However this apparent simple difference becomes much more complex upon analysis. Form is refashioned between these two versions of the story through a perspective change, a genre change and a medium change. ''Frankenstein ''has a consistently changing perspective where we are only given certain pieces of the story at one time as each character takes their turn narrating. This leads to a story that comes together slowly and leaves a lot of information to be analyzed at the end of the book. On the other hand ''Frankenweenie ''was designed for younger children from the beginning. I believe this drove the change from a perspective that allowed analysis to the perspective where the viewer sees the action happen in “real time” and follows the pertinent parts of the story. In ''Frankenweenie ''the camera does not follow one character, nor do any of the characters narrate what is happening, the viewer sees it unfold allowing for a sense of immediacy. The story was also changed significantly when Tim Burton decided to tell the story with the child, Victor, being the creator of the creature. While Victor in both stories seems to be a loner, the character development of the child added to the younger audience appeal. Similar to how a more immediate point of view appealed better to children, an appeal to children was also the motivation behind the change in genre. While I personally believed this film to be a little on the creepy side for children to be the target audience, it certainly did have a radical change from the original ''Frankenstein. The original Frankenstein ''is the story of a group of individuals each questing for knowledge on their own paths making it fall into the genre of adventure. Which is defined by the Writer's Digest University as "A genre of fiction in which action is the key element, overshadowing characters, theme and setting. … The conflict in an adventure story is often man against nature. A secondary plot that reinforces this kind of conflict is sometimes included. In Allistair MacLean’s Night Without End, for example, the hero, while investigating a mysterious Arctic air crash, also finds himself dealing with espionage, sabotage and murder.""Definitions of Fiction Catagories and Genres." http://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/resources/definitions-of-fiction-categories-and-genres/. It could easily be argued that the dog in the film is constantly seeking knowledge however the discovery of knowledge is not a major theme in the film. Not even Victor is searching for knowledge when he reanimates Sparky, he simply wants his dog back. There is a subplot of a science fair, however this does not play into the motivation for the main characters initially. The genre has changed from a serious story of adventures to a mild comedy about the shenanigans a boy who loves his dog, possibly too much, can get into. Which falls into the genre of family film defined by The Script Lab as "Family film is a genre that is contains appropriate content for younger viewers. Family film aims to appeal not only to children, but to a wide range of ages. While the storyline may appeal to a younger audience, there are components of the film that are geared towards adults- such as witty jokes and humor." "Genre: Family - Genre." http://thescriptlab.com/screenplay/genre/family. There is also a supplot that addresses what occurs when a childs curiosity goes wild and they do not take care of their creations. This was probably, once again, to make the story more palatable for young children who are interested in science. As discussed earlier ''Frankenweenie ''changes ''Frankenstein ''from a book into a movie, and along with that change come many shifts in the story line. The shift in medium allow for a much more immersive ability of the story. A viewer is essentially able to be transported into the land where Victor has reanimated his dog and children are reanimating other animals that wreak havoc on the community. The medium didn’t directly influence the story, but the motivation behind the change in medium did. The change was made to make this film more accessible to children. This motivation caused the story to be altered to a point where the creation or reanimation was not abandoned but coddled and nurtured. The change in medium does however effect the ability to understand the characters through their expressions and gestures which are difficult and cumbersome to explain in a book. Overall the transformations made to the original ''Frankenstein ''make ''Frankenweenie ''a child friendly movie that draws the audience into an immediate experience. Refashioning Theme The themes in the movie ''Frankenweenie ''had to be watered down for the target audience, however there are still two themes that are worth discussing in the context of this analysis. These two themes are questions involving what it means to be alive, and what responsibilities a creator has to their creation. Throughout the book ''Frankenstein ''these concepts are harped on repeatedly to the point where a coherent theory of what Mary Shelley’s stances are on the issues can be developed. ''Frankenweenie ''does not concentrate on fundamental moral issues as much as its earlier form does, but there are still pieces that can be analyzed. The question of what it means to be alive is a very controversial issue in today’s politics especially when it comes to issues of abortion and euthanasia. It is doubtful that a children’s movie is making comments on these issue, but the possibility remains. In the book ''Frankenstein ''it is apparent that the creation is not considered to be a human or alive. The creature, as it is often referred to in discussions, is capable of learning as can be seen when it visits the house and learns how to speak and how people interact.Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2009. 83 Also the creature has a capability for compassion as can be seen when it requests that Victor Frankenstein create it a mate.Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2009. 118 These are capabilities that a living human has, however it is evident through how the creature is shunned by both society and its creator that it is not considered to be a living human. Quite the alternative takes place in the movie ''Frankenweenie. The dog, Sparky, was killed in a car accident and the owner, Victor, was seriously distraught over his loss. Victor decides to reanimate the dog out of love and compassion. After the dog is reanimated it is loved, even more than before by victor as seen through his expression when the dog comes back to life. While Victor’s parents are upset with him bringing the dog back to life, they do acknowledge that Sparky is alive. Walt Disney Pictures. "Frankenweenie." 2012. This is a drastic change to the question of what constitutes life. In one case a creation is not alive and in the other it is. The question of a creator’s duty to their creation is also heavily addressed in Shelley’s novel. In the novel it would appear that there is no duty of Victor to the creature. This lack of duty is easily illustrated by how the creator does not take care of its creation, it is simply left to fend for itself. This leads to extremely hazardous results including the death of people close to Victor. The refashioned movie seems to show what an alternate universe could be like. In the movie Sparky is cared for greatly and even though there is great destruction to the town it is not because of Sparky, it is because of the carelessness of other children with the guardianship of their creations. Sparky is well cared for and taken care of and does not cause any trouble, while the other creations wreak havoc on the city because their creators did not understand or appreciate their power. Overall the refashioned themes were targeted to a younger audience and included such moral guidance as every living thing requires respect and caring, and animals deserve the samle amount of love as humans. Remixing The 2012 version of the movie Frankenweenie ''is based heavily on the original 1984 movie. Both of these movies were directed by Tim Burton and have a very similar plot structure. These films while similar have very distinct differences that are very relevant to discuss the differences between the generations these films were produced for. The themes and moral lessons that are illustrated through the plot of ''Frankenstein ''are timeless, which is apparent because we are still studying them today. The questions that are asked are nothing short of fundamental to the human psyche. This is why I believe Tim Burton thought it was so relevant to introduce this story to children when he first proposed his 1984 movie entitled ''Frankenweenie. The 1984 film was never released in theaters in the United States, the Disney Company thought it was too scary. "Frankenweenie (1984) -Trivia - IMDb." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087291/trivia The film consisted of many of the same themes that the 2012 film has with a few major changes that could drastically change the perception of the film. The film was 1/3 the length of the 2012 movie and had a perspective change that made the film seem much more real. It was filmed with real characters as opposed to the animated film. The technology of the 1980’s did not allow for easy or aesthetically pleasing animations. The only option was a true film, leading to the significantly more real feel to the horror caused by the plot line. With computer animations the 2012 film was able to dull the horror and create a more fun atmosphere that catered better to children. Also since the 2012 film was longer it was able to elaborate on character development which enhanced the themes of duty to the creature when compared to the 1984 film. Also there was more time in the 2012 edition for the viewer to see that Victor cared for and nurtured his creation, hence he thought it was alive, answering one of the major questions posed by Shelley in her novel. Overall the remix of the previous 1984 film into the 2012 film fulfilled nothing more than the corporate pressure and the change in generation. Both films follow the same logic when it comes to their interpretation of the original text that is being remediated. They just each do it in a different way. The 1984 version had a creepier tone than the 2012 version but this may have been intentional to attract the attention of younger viewers. The 2012 film strives to succeed in the market where the 1984 film was unable to. It opens itself as a family comedy, seeing as it was released in IMAX "Frankenweenie (2012) - IMDb." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1142977/, a technology that was not available in 1984, it is able to achieve a new level of immediacy that the older film could not. Bolter and Grusin summarize what the 2012 film soes when they say that all mediation is remediation with the coal of seeking immediacy. Bolter, Jay David and Richard Grusin. Remediation: Understanding New Media. Course Readings, ENGL 295. The new film is inherently remediating the older film which is remediating the book version. Overall the themes may not change between the two versions of the film, but there are significant changes that remediate the original film to better fit what Disney believes to be the target market. Judging by the 67 million dollars in gross sales worldwide the remediation seemed to work. Most children will not realize the long chain of remediation and altered themes that went into the making of this apparently simple, enjoyable, animated movie. However, that is not to say they will not learn from the important questions Shelley initially constructed in the 1818 version of Frankenstein. Further Resources Frankenweenie (2012) IMDb Frankenweenie (1984) IMDb Tim Burton IMDb Frankenweenie Movie Disney Frankenweenie (2012) Wikipedia Frankenweenie (1984) Wikipedia References ''